The Lake Garda Christmas markets open on the Trentino shore. On Friday 13 November 2026, Arco and Riva del Garda start and stay lit until Epiphany (6 January). From there the calendar spreads to the villages and the Veneto shore: Bardolino from 21 November, Garda from 27 November and Malcesine from 5 December. This guide was last updated on 22 October, and we will add the other lake markets as soon as organisers confirm dates and programmes.
Trentino shore: Arco, Riva, Canale di Tenno and Rango
In Arco the market opens on 13 November, from 10 am to 7 pm, and runs until Epiphany among the wooden huts in the squares of the old town. Among the stalls of decorations and gifts you can eat Bohemian dumplings, polenta with goulash and strauben (fried batter) with red bilberry jam. The programme includes street performances, concerts, nativity scenes, creative workshops and a petting zoo.
In Riva del Garda, from 13 November to 6 January, the Di Gusto in Gusto market turns Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza Cesare Battisti into a small food village, with tastings of Trentino wine, cured meats and cheeses, mulled wine and hot chocolate. On the first weekend, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November, the huts are open from 10:30 am to 9 pm.
In the medieval village of Canale di Tenno, one of the Borghi più belli d’Italia (Italy’s most beautiful villages), the market opens courtyards and cellars from 28 November to 20 December. Local artisans and artists show ceramics, jewellery and handmade art, and on the first weekend opening hours are 9:30 am to 6 pm. On Sundays, from 10 am to 5 pm, the Centro di sviluppo locale “Aldo Gorfer” hosts free workshops and story readings for children.
Further north, in Rango, farmhouses and alleys host stalls of local food specialities and crafts from 14 November to 31 December.
Veneto shore: Bardolino, Garda, Malcesine and the nativity scenes of Campo
From 21 November to 6 January, Christmas in Bardolino fills the lakefront and the old town. The market has 40 exhibitors between the lakefront and Parco Carrara Bottagisio, where you will also find an ice rink on the water, a Ferris wheel and Santa’s sleigh with a 3D cinema. The underwater nativity scene can be seen in Piazza del Porto from 6 December and at the port of Cisano from 30 November. The church of San Severo, with the Sala della Disciplina, hosts the exhibition “Presepi dal mondo” (nativity scenes from around the world).
In Garda, Natale tra gli Olivi (Christmas among the Olive Trees) opens on Friday 27 November, from 11 am to 6 pm, at the Town Hall on the Lungolago Regina Adelaide, and brings more than a month of events, meetings and concerts.
Malcesine lights up its Christmas in the old village from 5 December to 6 January, between the Borgo del Castello, at the Scaliger Castle, and the Corte del Castello in Piazza Statuto, where the ice rink has been open since mid-November. On opening days the Casermetta hosts creative workshops for children with the MalcesinElfo elves from 2:30 to 5:30 pm. In Piazza Statuto, among the huts and the food area, the Ora delle Meraviglie (Hour of Wonders) with entertainment and baby dance runs from 6 to 7 pm, followed by evening shows and live music from 7 to 9 pm. The huts of the charity market run by Caritas and other associations are in the garden of the former Asilo Pariani, from 10 am to 4 pm. On Thursday 31 December the New Year’s party ends with a concert by Malumida and fireworks at the harbour.
In Campo di Brenzone, on Sunday 6 December, after the 11 am Mass in the little church of San Pietro in Vincoli, an exhibition of nativity scenes opens: about 120 to 130 of them, scattered among the houses, walls, meadows and barns of the village. It can be visited every day until February.
Inland, Valeggio sul Mincio lights up its town and hamlets from 22 November to 6 January. On Sunday 6 December the old town hosts “Il Regalo di Natale” from 10 am to 6:30 pm, with markets, street food, artistic crafts and entertainment.
Beyond the lake: Trento, Rovereto, Vallagarina and Cimego
The markets in Trento and Rovereto open on 20 November and close on 6 January; Rovereto calls its Christmas “Rintocchi di Luce” (Chimes of Light). In Vallagarina, Avio Castle hosts “Natale al Castello” from 21 November to 20 December, while Ala, the City of Velvet, brings a market and entertainment to its Baroque palaces from 28 November to 20 December.
Among the houses of Quartinago di Cimego, the “Carosello” market opens on Sunday 29 November and returns on 5 to 8 December, 12 and 13 December, and 19 and 20 December.
